


The Ashes of His Youth

by astridshepard



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Excessive, F/M, Holiday Harbinger 2020, Light Angst, Mass Effect 2, Post-Suicide Mission, also by me, gotta season your fics properly, i promise this is lighthearted and funny, just a little bit of angst thrown in for flavor, now with art!, pre-Arrival, the violence is tagged but it's not like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28533375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astridshepard/pseuds/astridshepard
Summary: "Remind me why we’re here again?”“Because the Suns have been trafficking Prothean artifacts all over the Terminus, and we’re trying to stay on the Council’s good side.”“I don’t give a pyjack’s ass about the Council. So why are we here?”“Well, Zaeed,youdecided to stay on after we destroyed the Collector base."“I’m beginning to question that decision.”“And since you’re running with me, that means you want to stay on the Council’s good side.”
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Comments: 11
Kudos: 32





	The Ashes of His Youth

**Author's Note:**

> _In me thou seest the twilight of such day  
>  As after sunset fadeth in the west,  
> Which by and by black night doth take away,  
> Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.  
> In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire  
> That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,  
> As the death-bed whereon it must expire  
> Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by._
> 
> \- Sonnet 73, William Shakespeare

__

_“Remind me why we’re here again?”_

“Because the Suns have been trafficking Prothean artifacts all over the Terminus, and we’re trying to stay on the Council’s good side.”

Two scoffs came back over the comm.

_“I don’t give a pyjack’s ass about the Council. So why are we here?”_

_“Good side,”_ Grunt muttered.

“Well, Zaeed, _you_ decided to stay on after we destroyed the Collector base,” Shepard said.

_“I’m beginning to question that decision.”_

“And since you’re running with me, that means you want to stay on the Council’s good side.”

_“Yeah, and the fact that we keep getting to hit Blue Suns bases has nothing to do with it,”_ Jack cut in, the tone of her voice doing everything it could to convey her boredom. All that was missing was the pop of bubblegum.

Shepard could only imagine the face that Zaeed pulled to go with the growl that rumbled over the comm. Raising her leg a few inches off the ground, she rolled her ankle to wake up the limb; lying down for 8 hours on an uneven, rocky surface was doing nothing for her posture or her patience. Though, that may have been due to her squad’s complaints more than the stone that was digging into her thigh.

The pressure of a three-fingered hand on the back of her leg made her pause. It massaged its way up and down her thigh in what would have been an inappropriate manner had its owner not already touched (and tasted) just about every inch of her body; it also helped that he stuck to the area around the gap of her hardsuit the rocks had been jutting into, carefully rolling his fingers around to get the blood circulation going again. Her involuntary sigh reverberated over the comm.

_“Swear to god, if you’re fucking up there—”_

Garrus chuckled. “I may be adventurous, Jack, but I’m not stupid.”

_“Then quit yer moaning,”_ Zaeed grumbled.

“Not my fault Shepard picked the one spot on this rock that sticks right up into her thigh.”

Shepard grinned. “He’s just mad I found it before he did.”

His responding eye roll wasn’t as effective since he was barely able to move his head; the cliff face they were on gave them a clear line of sight to the loading dock of the base and cover for their sniper’s perch, but only if they kept low, like they had since they arrived earlier that morning.

“Right,” Garrus drawled. “Because it seems like such a good one. With all the pointy rocks and sharp edges digging into your legs.”

“I’m quite fond of sharp and pointy—”

_“Stop,”_ Jack groaned.

“But even so, it does have the best sight lines. _And_ I claimed it before you did.” She winked at him. “Jealousy’s not a good look on you, G.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he smirked back. She hadn’t noticed that he’d stopped the massage until his hand was halfway up her back, coming to a gentle stop on her waist.

“We’ll see about that,” he replied quietly. 

“See about what?” She could practically hear the eye rolls from the others. 

“Best sight lines.” Heat, imagined as it was through layers of armor, spread from where his fingertips dragged across her side as he brought his hand back to himself, “Let’s see who gets the most headshots. Pretty sure it’s still going to be me.”

“Yeah? You wanna bet on that?”

_“I’d rather listen to you two fuck than be subjected to this shit.”_

“S’matter Zaeed?” Shepard teased.

_“Yer gonna traumatize the tin can.”_

The two of them looked over at the geth curled up on the other side of Shepard. It had agreed to remain in that position, falling into a semi-aware state, which would keep the lights on its armature dark. The Widow rifle Jacob had replicated for it was set aside, but still within reach.

“He doesn’t care.”

_“Gross,”_ Jack said. Garrus turned his snicker into a cough. 

“So,” Shepard continued breezily. “This bet. What do I have to do if I lose?”

“Hm.” Garrus’ gaze turned up to the sky for a moment, pretending to be deep in thought. “I guess you’ll have to give me a kiss.” The sound of gagging was a comical backdrop to the heated look he gave her. No doubt he could see her heart rate rising on his visor.

“And what do I get if I win?”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

_“I’d vomit if this planet hadn’t already killed my sense of smell.”_

“Sounds like you want in on this Zaeed,” Shepard said, trying (and failing) to keep the amusement out of her voice.

_“Yeah, fine, I want in on it,”_ the bounty hunter sneered. _“But when I win, I get 5000 credits. From both of you.”_

“A reasonable wager,” Garrus said. Shepard tried not to laugh.

The conversation died down after that, with only a handful of check-ins periodically to the team stationed at the base’s ‘front’ door. Apart from the dust and debris that scuttled along the floor of the valley the base was nestled in, there was no other sound. Their breath fogged in the air before them, a cool wind picking up when the sun began its descent behind the mountain ridge, causing the turian next to her to shiver. Pins and needles returned to Shepard’s leg with a vengeance the longer they laid there; Garrus gave her leg another rub when it became painful. 

_“Commander, a ship profile matching the Blue Suns’ transport is on approach to Taitus. I estimate thirty minutes before it is in geosynchronous orbit, and another fifteen until the artifact itself arrives at the facility.”_

“Understood EDI.” Shepard changed the frequency back to the ground team. “Look sharp, people.”

_“’Bout time we got to light this place up,”_ Jack crowed quietly.

“Not quite. We’ve got another 45 minutes or so ‘til the target arrives, with who knows how long until we’re given the all clear. Is your position secure?”

_“Has been for the last six hours,”_ Zaeed replied, drier than normal.

“Good. Another won’t hurt then.” It was hard to tell who grumbled in response.

Garrus’ omni-tool flashed briefly, silencing the comm on his end. His voice didn’t echo when he asked, “Should we wake Legion?” 

Shepard glanced at the geth; the position it was in would have been painful to any organic after a few hours. But it claimed to process information ‘at the speed of light’ so it’d get caught up quickly. “Not yet,” she said after silencing her own mic. “Let the Suns get inside first.” Garrus nodded and re-connected to the team’s frequency.

Anticipation piled higher the longer they waited, thick as the sulfured breeze of Taitus. The minutes dragged on, and yet it still seemed as though no time had passed when EDI informed them that a shuttle had been dispatched from the transport, quickly descending into the planet’s atmosphere.

“We’ve got movement,” Garrus whispered not too long after. The HUD of his visor flickered as it focused on an object in the sky Shepard was yet to see.

“Shuttle?”

“Looks like. Five minutes out if it maintains its current speed.”

_“Why can’t we just swarm ‘em when they land?”_ The annoyance in Jack’s voice was controlled this time, which Shepard took as a sign of progress.

“We need to confirm the artifact is on the shuttle. And we don’t know if the transport they used is going to stick around,” she said. “Or if the buyer is on their way. It’ll be a lot easier to get the artifact back to the _Normandy_ if she’s not caught up in some dog fight.”

_“We gonna see who this buyer is?”_ Zaeed asked.

“No. The Council already knows who they are, and what they’re doing, they just need us to get the physical proof.” A nondescript shuttle crested the far ridge while she spoke, the sound of its engines echoing through the valley. “If all goes to plan, we’ll have an hour’s window to secure the artifact and leave before the buyer knows what happened.”

“Two minutes ‘til they land.”

Shepard nodded. “Keep an eye out, Zaeed, but wait for my go.”

_“Roger that.”_

Smaller bits of debris were forced up the wall of their cliff when the shuttle got in range of the landing pad, thankfully missing Shepard’s eyes as she and Garrus had ducked back down behind their cover. Only when snippets of conversation could be heard did Garrus maneuver himself back up, taking a recording with his visor of the Suns and their package.

“They’re inside,” he muttered after a minute.

“Good.” Shepard tapped a command on her omni-tool to wake the geth. “EDI, what’s the status of the transport?”

_“The transport has just cleared Taitus’ L2 point,”_ she replied as Legion began to unfold. _“If it continues on its current course, it will reach the edge of the Talava system in 3 hours, 12 minutes.”_

“Understood. Let me know when they’re an hour out, or if you pick up any other unregistered ships entering the system.”

_“Yes, Commander.”_

Legion knelt behind the rock next to hers, Widow secured against its shoulder as it chittered in the geth language. The light of its face dimmed then returned to its normal brightness in the course of a few seconds, no doubt reviewing the logs EDI had taken. Shepard kept an eye on it, mentally preparing for any questions that it would have; the only thing more surprising than finding a friendly geth was learning that it was curious by nature.

“All set, Legion?” she asked preemptively.

It nodded. “Affirmative.”

“Good.” She turned to the scope of her own Widow, changing the view to infrared now that night had fallen properly. “Barring any more setbacks, we’ve got 60 minutes on the clock,” she said over the team channel. “Once EDI gives the all clear, Zaeed, your team will be good to go.”

A quiet chorus of affirmations responded back over the comm, Garrus giving his own slight nod of understanding, keeping his sight on the landing pad in front of them through the Mantis. Shepard counted down the minutes while they lay there, taking some comfort in the steady breathing of her partner next to her. Legion, however, broke its stillness to look at her.

“Shepard-Commander.”

_Oh boy, here we go._ “Yeah Legion?”

“Is there a competition we were not informed about?”

Shepard frowned slightly, eye still to her scope. “Competition?”

“A contest has been logged between Shepard-Commander, Officer Vakarian, and Hunter Masani 26 minutes and 10 seconds prior to this unit’s reactivation.”

The grimace crossed her face before it could be hidden. _Of course EDI would take note of that._ “It’s nothing serious, just a friendly wager.”

“Are we allowed to partake in this wager?”

“Yeah, I guess. Don’t see why not.”

“Really?” Garrus drawled softly, incredulous.

“Think of it as a team-building exercise,” she quipped with a significant look in his direction. 

Legion’s panels fluttered while it considered. “Are we required to receive the same compensation as Officer Vakarian?”

Shepard turned to it on instinct, shock wiping her expression clean. Another cough that sounded suspiciously like a cover-up came from the turian on her other side.

“I—yeah, sure, Legion,” she stammered. “Why not.” She paused, scrambling to find a way out of the conversation. “You can ask for something else, though. If you want.”

“Affirmative.”

Heart rate now sky high, Shepard watched it turn away without further comment. Garrus’ mandibles twitched rapidly in poorly concealed amusement. She’d hoped the lack of response from the other team meant she was in the clear when Jack muttered, _“Can’t believe Shepard’s gonna make out with a robot.”_

If only she could fight the rising blush on her cheeks as well as her heart rate. “You sure that’s how this is going to end up?”

_“I just want to see the turian’s face when he finally loses at something.”_

“I’m hurt by that Jack,” Garrus said with mock indignation.

_“Bite me.”_

“Only if you win the bet.”

“Alright, alright,” Shepard interrupted, grateful that her voice was steady at least. “We’ve still got 50 minutes left, let’s cut the chatter.” The geth’s head panels whirred as it witnessed the conversation; she could only imagine the kind of data it was trying to collate. Shepard returned her attention to the scope with a tired exhale, ignoring the rocks digging into her thigh. The pain wasn’t worth medi-gel, but there was going to be a nasty bruise once all was said and done.

Fifty minutes passed as the wind picked up, blowing the already meager cloud cover away from the valley. Forty minutes were left when the frost settled around them, making even Legion squirm to cast off the crystals. Twenty minutes slipped by when Garrus cracked a heating pouch and slipped it under his chest plate, alternating the hand that rested on it to keep his limbs ready.

_“Commander, the transport is now one hour out from Taitus.”_

“Got it, EDI,” Shepard said quietly. “Zaeed, you are clear to engage. Get in, force them out our way, and secure the artifact. We’ll handle the stragglers.”

_“Understood.”_

_“Finally,”_ Grunt rumbled; the subtle clicks of his Claymore unfolding were heard in the background. _“You guys are worse than a nest of pyjacks.”_ The screech of pre-fab metal echoed loudly across the valley less than a minute later as it was ripped apart at the seams, the ground vibrating with such force after Jack and Zaeed’s combined explosion that Shepard gripped the feet of the Widow’s bipod to steady it.

They waited on the cliff as chaos reigned over the comms: Jack’s glee followed by the sounds of desperate screaming, Grunt’s laughter at setting off another explosion (hopefully with explosive rounds this time and not his fists), Zaeed barking direction at the other two to keep them on track. Shepard lay there like a proud, bizarre school teacher, a warm feeling rising through her chest to hear her team work together, especially under a different lead.

“The way they’re going at it, you’d think we never let them off the ship,” Garrus muttered to no one, but Shepard grinned anyway. Legion glanced their way before settling down on the ground to her other side, saying nothing.

Soft ticks of the lock cycle brought her attention back to the landing pad in front of her. The first Sun to enter her scope disappeared in a spray of blood, the two behind him quickly following suit. Panic clogged the mercs who fled the onslaught inside, tripping over their dead squadmates as they scrambled fast as possible—only to drop a few steps later as the three snipers went to work.

“Runner on your eight Legion,” Shepard said while she reloaded.

A shot rang out. “Target processed.”

“We’ve got heavies,” Garrus called. His barrel trailed a woman while she ran from cover to cover; the Mantis fired a moment later. 

“You’re on them, Garrus,” Shepard responded. Her shoulder ached from the butt of the Widow kicking back every couple of seconds. “Legion, stay on any who get too close to the shuttle.”

“Acknowledged.”

Rounds from their rifles discharged in a grim sort of harmony, complimented by the holy hell being brought down by the team inside. Rocks rattled around them as the Suns tried to fire back; Shepard rolled to her right when a missile was successfully fired off—nearly landing on top of Legion—just in time to avoid being crushed by the debris. The geth pulled her further from the rubble so she could utilize the spot it’d been using, and strafed quickly to find another. She hacked a few times before sighting down the scope, eliminating the merc who’d fired it.

“You good?” Garrus wheezed, trying not to inhale the dust. 

“Yup,” she got out. “Sorry, Legion,” she added with another cough.

“Apologies are unnecessary,” it replied. “Unit cohesion has not been compromised.” She’d figure out later if the geth was giving her shit.

Returning to the fight in front of them, no one spoke as they took down the fleeing Suns one by one. No more rockets landed near them as the stream of mercs slowed to a trickle, but a few were still attempting to fight back. Shepard kept an ear to the comm; from the sound of Grunt’s increasingly dejected commentary, the base was almost empty.

“Zaeed, what’s your status?”

_“Half dozen left I think.”_ His Mattock roared and he barked out a laugh. _“Hah! Sit down!”_

Another explosion sounded, loud enough that she didn’t need the comm to hear it outside. “Keep clear of the artifact. We need it intact.”

_“Yeah, yeah, don’t get pissy.”_

Legion’s rifled fired, followed by the thump of a body falling a moment later. No one exited to the landing pad for several seconds, and the comm fell silent.

Garrus scanned the battlefield with his visor again. “We’re clear.”

“We detect no hostile lifeforms,” Legion agreed.

“Got it,” Shepard said. “Zaeed?”

No response.

She shifted on the ground the longer he remained quiet. “Zaeed,” she tried again. “Can you hear me?” Muffled scrapes and groans answered.

Shepard stood and holstered her rifle, the other two following her lead as she rushed down the cliff. She jogged down the narrow path they’d followed to reach their hideout earlier with Garrus close behind; Legion simply jumped over the edge and smacked down to the ground below. It unfolded before they were halfway down, assault rifle in its hands moments later.

“Zaeed!” she called again.

_“Calm your tits,”_ Jack replied. _“We’re fine.”_

“What’s your status?”

_“Fine,”_ the biotic said again. _“Found some stragglers in a hidden room. Something blocked our signal when we got in there.”_

Shepard ceased her dash across the landing pad towards the door. The others continued on a few more steps before coming to a stop as well. “Are you clear then?”

_“Yeah, Shepard,”_ Zaeed rumbled. Something metallic was forcibly moved nearby. _“We’re clear.”_

She exhaled harshly. “Be nice of you to let me know.”

_“We did. Eventually.”_

Garrus shook his head.

“Okay.” Looking around the landing pad, a number of easily salvageable things were noticeable. Shepard directed the other two with a gesture; they nodded and began scanning the nearest items with their ‘tools. “We’re going to take a few minutes to see what resources the Suns had out here. Let me know when you’ve secured the artifact.”

_“Right. We’ve secured the artifact.”_

She paused her own scanning. “What? Already?”

_“Yeah,”_ Zaeed said. _“Big black box full of ugly shit, right?”_

Shepard looked over to Garrus, who nodded an affirmative. “I don’t know about ugly, but if it’s big that’s probably it.”

_“Nah, it’s ugly. Stupid sons of bitches ripped the damn thing open soon as they got it down on the floor.”_

Well, she couldn’t say she’d met many mercs with sense. “What is it?”

_“It’s a… statue,”_ Jack replied. _“Of someone sitting. Covered in vines and shit. It’s giving off this—”_ She stopped, sniffling a bit. A note of unease wound its way into her voice. _“I don’t fuckin’ know man, but it feels weird standing near it. Like it’s tryin’ to drag everything around it in.”_

Ice rolled down Shepard’s spine. “Back away from it!” she ordered, bolting towards the door. “Now!”

_“Yup. Don’t gotta tell me twice.”_

The entrance to the base had barely opened when Shepard pushed herself through. A half-second glance around the ground floor showed the pandemonium she’d expected—bodies with far too many bullet holes, scorch marks and debris from explosive canisters, the opposite wall peeled open like a can of sardines, upturned furniture deposited far and away from where it should have been, like the railing on the second floor—and a light streaming out from a doorway on the far wall to her right. Vaulting over an upturned table, Shepard made it to the door in two seconds flat. 

Jack, Grunt, and Zaeed were milling near the entrance, turning to her in confusion when she burst through in a panic, out of breath. Unlike the main hold, the storage area was empty of anything besides the bodies of the unfortunate Suns, two consoles near its only exit, and the artifact. Lights were dim, as though the storage area wasn’t a priority to power unless necessary. The crate holding the statue had been opened, one of the heavy, L-shaped halves hastily thrown to the side, while the other stood upright, holding the artifact in place.

Shepard held her breath as Ilos stared her in the face.

Garrus and Legion arrived while she took it in. She moved closer, slowly, as the others shuffled around behind her, unable to draw her eyes away from the seated Prothean. Cracks spider-webbed along its front and sides, with a particularly large one bisecting the figure on a diagonal. It wasn’t broken clean through, but any sort of rough treatment would further it along towards shattering. Vegetation and dirt from where it had been dug up clung to the sides, giving the stone a darkened green and yellow hue.

There was no glow that she’d come to associate with Prothean artifacts, but the sensation Jack described was there: a gentle stream tugging at her feet, urging her forward.

“Shepard?”

Garrus’ voice smashed through the trance she’d fallen into. Shaking her head, Shepard stopped and turned to the rest of her team.

“What are you feeling when you’re near it Jack?”

“Like… what it feels like when I activate my biotics.” She shuffled in place to hide her discomfort. “But not in a good way.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed. Ignoring the concerned noise she heard from Garrus, she took another step towards the crate and reached out a hand, hovering a few inches away from the figure. When nothing happened, she closed her eyes.

The vision played, as it always did when she got too close to their artifacts. But it was subtle, almost muted, as though it were on a vid screen far away. Shepard opened her eyes, realizing she was able to ignore the pull, and the sounds of the Prothean extinction faded.

“Shepard?” Garrus repeated. A year ago, and she wouldn’t have been able to detect the undercurrent of worry in his voice.

She shuddered and turned away from the seated Prothean again. “Does anyone else feel that?” she asked the group.

“Feel what?” Zaeed growled.

“Like you’re about to get sucked into it.”

Jack crossed her arms when she leaned against the console Legion was operating, sneering at the crate as though it were about to attack. Zaeed and Garrus glanced at each other, then the statue, but said nothing. Grunt eyed the figure, and took a few lumbering steps towards it. He froze when he was a few feet away and inhaled, clearly not expecting what he found. 

“Grunt?”

The krogan frowned, silent as he thought. “It smells wrong,” he rumbled. “Like a fresh wound. But old, at the same time.” He inhaled deeply again, then backed away. “Rotting flesh and rusting metal.”

“But do you feel lightheaded? Or sick, or like you’re going to start throwing singularities around?”

“No.”

Shepard exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Alright. Legion?”

The light from the geth was momentarily blinding as it focused on her. “It is similar to the other statues present on Ilos, Shepard-Commander,” it responded. “However, the shipping manifest indicates that this one is from a Prothean dig site on the planet Chasca. And it appears to have an active Prothean communications relay.”

Shepard rounded on the geth in shock. “A relay?” she repeated.

“Yes.”

“Like the beacon on Eden Prime?”

“No.” It approached the statue and scanned it with its omni-tool, the flaps and light on its head twitching as it processed the data. “It appears to be site-to-site transfer, not part of a larger network.”

Garrus caught her gaze when she looked to him, startled. “A Prothean QEC?”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me. Even if it’s not how we’d build one, it makes sense they’d have developed similar technology.”

“The relay is damaged,” the geth continued. “Unlike the others on Ilos, which were decommissioned properly.” The light flared as it tilted its head. “We do not understand why this would result in a biotic being more affected by its presence.”

Images of golden hour light on vine-covered walls filled Shepard’s head. Rows and rows of statues identical to the one in front of her, green and purple vegetation crawling up and across the stone before returning to the ground, always angling towards the next one.

The memory shifted as she reexamined it, another insight into the scale of loss with the realization that each statue was a self-contained QEC. A network hub that likely spanned the Prothean empire, gone silent, as a facility of scientists made the painful decision to hide instead of fight, hoping they could prevent the destruction from reaching to the next cycle.

_Cannot be stopped… can not be stopped—_

She squeezed her hand into a fist tightly, forcing herself back to the present. “How was it reactivated?”

“Unknown.”

“Do you think it’s safe to test it? See where the other end of this is located?”

“Unknown.” The light flared as the geth processed. “We do not have sufficient data to estimate potential outcomes.”

Shepard sighed again, heavily, facing the crate and its contents sadly. Weight pressed down on her chest as she took in the details of the broken Prothean face one more time, eaten away by time and flora.

“Jack,” she said quietly. “How long can you stay near it?”

“Dunno. Depends on how close I am.” The biotic gave the statue another once over. “Why?”

“We need to get it out of here, and the only way is by shuttle.”

That got her a look before the implication sunk in. “Tch,” Jack replied. “I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“Right,” Zaeed huffed. “And what about the rest of us?”

An eyebrow rose in his direction. “What about you?”

“You gonna make sure we don’t melt when this thing gets within three feet of us?”

Shepard’s responding grin would have made a weaker man falter. “Sure. Jack’s going to lift the top of this crate back in place and then you, Garrus, and Grunt are going to latch it down. Tell me how you feel once you’re done with that.”

The bounty hunter blanched, then scowled, but moved in to do as he was told. With an instruction for Legion to copy the base’s server, Shepard left the storage room and walked through the base, then out the peeled back wall into Taitus’ crisp night air.

“EDI.”

_“Yes, Commander?”_

“We need a pick-up. How long?”

_“The shuttle will dispatch momentarily, Shepard. I estimate ten minutes until it arrives.”_

“Good. Tell Joker and Miranda we don’t have time to salvage anything right now; as soon as we’re back on the _Normandy_ we’re heading straight to the Citadel.”

_“Understood.”_

“Message the Council, too,” she added. Soft footsteps crept up behind her while she stood there. “Let them know we secured the artifact, but it’s heavily damaged.”

_“Yes, Commander.”_

Shepard placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. The cold breeze that blew around them wasn’t enough to stop the rising headache, but she still inhaled it anyway, appreciating the clarity it brought as it filled her lungs.

“I pulled Kaidan out of the way last time,” she whispered.

“On Eden Prime?” Garrus said softly.

“Yeah.” Clear, starry skies greeted her when she opened her eyes, and she let her hand fall to her side. “That beacon didn’t look anything like the one here, but he was being dragged in all the same. I grabbed him and yanked, and next thing I knew I was waking up in the medbay with a headache the size of the Citadel.”

Warmth from a three fingered hand surrounded hers while she continued. “I thought I wasn’t going to make it this time. That one of you would be tied to these stupid visions. We don’t even have a Thorian to get the cipher from anymore, so whoever got them wouldn’t be able to control them.” She breathed in the cold air again. “It’s bad enough I have nightmares about it all the time. I wouldn’t want someone else to go through this, too.”

Garrus hummed, gently rubbing the back of her hand. “Well, if another one of us got those Prothean visions, the Council couldn’t dismiss them as easily.”

Shepard laughed once, the sound coming out harsh. “Yes they would.”

“Hmm, true. But we’d make it twice as difficult.”

Shepard chuckled, squeezing the hand in hers. Raising up on her toes, she nuzzled his face, giving him a quick kiss before lowering back down.

“Shit, you guys couldn’t even wait ‘til we get back.”

Jack, followed by the hovering (but secured) crate, stepped out of the base with a half-smug, half-disgusted expression. Zaeed and Grunt joined them on the other side of the crate, seeming equally bored by their commander’s affections. Legion, of course, watched them all with rapt attention as it left the base behind.

“He won the bet, Jack,” Shepard answered warmly.

“Prove it,” Zaeed countered. At their bewildered expressions, he added, “I’ve got ten thousand credits on the line, here.”

A sharp breath fell out of the turian at her side. “Fine.” Letting go of Shepard’s hand, he reviewed the stats on his visor. “Yeah, looks like it—huh.”

“What?” the bounty hunter demanded.

“Legion won.”

A guffaw—and really, that was the only way to describe it—rang through the torn open building behind them. 

“You’re shitting me!” Jack exclaimed. She looked between Garrus and Shepard and continued to laugh. “Shepard has to kiss the robot?” 

The arrival of the shuttle was timely, Shepard thought as she ransacked her brain for something, _anything_ to use as a comeback. Jack sat down in the transport, doubled over from laughter, while Grunt, Garrus, and Zaeed maneuvered the crate into the storage compartment under the commander’s direction. The geth monitored their surroundings the entire time, only getting into the shuttle when he was directed to do so. If she didn’t know any better, Shepard would have thought it was embarrassed.

The ride back to the _Normandy_ was quiet for the most part, with Jack’s laughter bubbling up intermittently. Shepard stood, since there were no seats available, and reviewed the data Legion had pulled from the base’s server. Garrus leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed after a moment, arms crossed to make room for the krogan next to him. Zaeed, however, glared between the two of them.

“So we’re not gonna come back for any of that shit they left behind?”

“Not right away,” Shepard replied without looking up. “We’ve got to deliver the artifact to the Council first.”

“Shame. There was a lot of good salvage.”

“We’ll come back if the Council doesn’t have anything else for us to do.”

Zaeed snorted. “Those types always have something fer a good errand boy like yourself to do. And by the time we get back here, it’ll be picked clean over. Woulda been nice compensation now that I’m not getting those credits from you.”

“He says, as though I’m not already paying him.”

“Not nearly enough to put up with this bullshit.”

“How about we find you a nice girl while we’re docked at the Citadel,” Garrus piped up, eyes still closed. “Surely we’ll have enough time to find someone up to your high standards.”

“Unlikely.”

A grin tugged at Shepard’s lips as the two of them traded good-natured barbs. The shuttle rocked while she read, separating data the Council would need from some interesting Suns’ activity she wanted to follow up on. She closed her omni-tool as the transport hit the _Normandy’s_ mass effect field and began docking.

“Well, Zaeed, think of it this way.” He glowered at her. “If that base is being picked over, it means we’ll have more mercs to clean up, and then we can take their stuff, too.”

His frown morphed into a grin. “You always know exactly what to say, Shepard.”

They left the shuttle when the door unlocked; Shepard noticed the brisk strides they made towards the elevator, all hoping not to be asked to help unload the artifact. So she called them all back, reminding them that they, in fact, did _not_ melt during the ten minute shuttle ride back to the _Normandy_. The extra time it took to secure the crate down was worth the delay.

“Joker, we on our way?” she asked while Grunt and Zaeed argued over how to lock the strap.

_“Yes, ma’am. Course set for the Citadel as soon as you docked, ETA just under 36 hours.”_

“Good man.” She looked around at her frustrated team. “Alright everyone, wash up and grab a snack, debrief in one hour.”

“Why?” Grunt muttered. “It’s not like there’s a lot of ways to say ‘we killed a lot of people.’”

“No,” she responded with an easy tap to his arm. “But that kill count of yours isn’t official until it’s down on paper.”

The krogan groused to himself as the team started to remove their gear, picking up the pace in their hasty retreat from the cargo bay and the statue that would sit in it. Garrus called the elevator as he inspected something on his Mantis.

“Oh, and before I forget—”

Everyone stopped. A small smile blossomed on Shepard’s face as she watched them watch her approach the geth. Before it could react, she placed a hand on its shoulder and gave it a quick, gentle kiss to the side of its face. The stillness and shock of the cargo bay was tangible, broken only when the elevator announced its arrival with a soft _ping_.

“Since you won the bet,” Shepard said with a wink towards Jack.

The biotic bust out laughing again and got into the car. The rest of them piled in slowly, bewilderingly after—except for Legion, who was stuck in the same spot, looking as mystified as a geth could. Shepard would have felt bad if the situation weren’t so hilarious; hopefully EDI could get her a still of Garrus’ face when it happened.

“You know Shepard,” Jack started with a grin as the elevator began its slow ascent. “You’re not so bad.”

**Author's Note:**

> the statues on ilos were retconned in 3 to be statues of the inusannon (and ilos became the inusannon homeworld that the protheans re-purposed for their own use) but we didn’t know that in 2 so that’s what i’m going with
> 
> big thanks to white_aster for beta'ing this


End file.
